


I've Got You (The Altean Sniffles)

by stella_polaris



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuban Lance (Voltron), Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Galra Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Sick Keith (Voltron), Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-14 02:47:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11773905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stella_polaris/pseuds/stella_polaris
Summary: The inhabitants of the Castle of Lions all come down with an Altean virus that's similar to the common cold. Due to being half-Galra, Keith is off a lot worse than his fellow Paladins, though. Out of all people, Lance volunteers to take care of him and keep him company while he's sick.





	I've Got You (The Altean Sniffles)

“So this is what, the Altean sniffles?” Pidge sounds incredulous.

“Basically... yes,” Coran affirms and shrugs.

“I can't believe it...” Lance says and sneezes.

“Bless you,” Hunk chimes in.

“Hunk... it's kind of ridiculous with you saying that to someone else like once a minute,” Keith comments dryly.

A few days ago, they all came down with what seemed like a cold, one after the other. Lance was the first to start sneezing and after him, someone else started getting symptoms every few hours. They were scared they'd caught some kind of deadly space virus until also Allura started coughing and sneezing and Coran finally recognised it as a common Altean virus. Entirely harmless and very similar to a cold. And it seemed to affect humans the same way it did Alteans.

With the threat of imminent death gone, everyone is merely annoyed at the inconvenience this illness presents. The reclining area has turned into a makeshift infirmary, filled with the sounds of sneezing, sniffling and coughing.

“Is there nothing we can do?” Shiro asks “If the Galra were to attack now, this makes us vulnerable.”

“I'm afraid not,” Allura answers from where she's half-sitting, half-lying on one of the couches, “The good thing is, it will most likely only last a few quintents. We'll all be better in no time. We just have to wait it out.” The princess blows her nose and grimaces at the tissue.

“God, I'm so booored...” Lance says and sighs deeply. He's had it with this virus.

“If that's your only problem,” Keith retorts, “I wish my head didn't feel like it was gonna explode.”

Pidge looks up from where she's tapping away on her laptop. “I don't have a headache... does anyone else have a headache?” she asks.

There's a murmur of no's heard around the room.

“Headaches are not a common symptom of this illness,” Allura says, frowning.

Everyone turns to look at Keith who sits up from where he's been lying on a couch. “Oh, come on. Stop looking at me like that. I'm probably just getting a migraine. No wonder with how cooped up we've been for the past few days.”

“Or maybe you're reacting differently because of...” Shiro starts to say but Keith interrupts him.

“Or maybe you're just overreacting.”

Keith gets up and sways for just the tiniest moment. Lance frowns but Keith steadies himself so quickly that he's sure he must be imagining things.

“I'll be in my room if anyone needs me,” Keith says and heads for the door.

“Am I the only one who's a little worried?” Shiro asks when the door closes after Keith.

Hunk shakes his head. “No...”

“I'll go and do some research with Coran's help. Maybe you're right, Shiro. I hope it's not the case but the virus might affect Keith differently because of his Galra heritage. And if that's the case, I'd rather be prepared.” Allura also stands up and leaves the room.

“Great... more problems. That's just what we needed,” Lance says sarcastically. And of course, it's got to be Keith. Can the guy not be a special snowflake for once?

“Well, maybe it's nothing and he really just has a migraine,” Hunk says.

Sometimes Lance wishes he had his best friend's optimism.

*

It's getting late when Lance decides to call it a night. He announces as much to Shiro who's the only one still in the room with him (after Pidge took her laptop and her pile of tissue boxes to her room a little while ago).

Shiro looks up from the file he's reading on the Altean reading device and nods. “Hey Lance, can you do me a favour?”

“Hmm? Sure,” Lance replies.

“Your room's right next to Keith's... can you check on him? I'm still a bit worried.”

Lance chuckles. “He'll probably kick me out but yeah... Yeah, I can do that.”

“Thanks.”

“No worries. Night, Shiro.”

Shiro nods and smiles. “Good night, Lance.”

The walk to their rooms is a short one and so it's not long until Lance is stood in front of Keith's room, knocking softly on the door. No answer.

“Keith?” he calls.

Still no answer. Lance shrugs, it would seem like Keith's already asleep then. But Shiro wanted him to check on him...

“Ugh, if Keith kills me, it's entirely on you, Shiro...” Lance mumbles to himself before pressing the button on the control panel that opens the door.

“Keith?” he calls into the quiet room. The lights are still on but they've been dimmed. “This wasn't my idea but Shiro asked me to...”

Lance stops in his tracks when he enters the room and sees Keith curled up on his bed. He's not asleep. And he looks to be in pain, he has his arms wrapped around himself and he's shaking slightly.

Lance is with him in no time, kneeling down next to the bed. “Hey buddy... are you okay?”

It's a stupid question because Keith is quite obviously not okay, his face is scrunched up in pain and his whole body is tense. Even Lance can't deny that he's worried now.

“Talk to me, Keith...”

“It hurts,” Keith says quietly and with some effort.

“What hurts? Your head?” On some impulse, Lance reaches out to brush Keith's hair out of his face.

Keith shakes his head. “Everything. Make it stop.”

“I'll get Allura and Coran. They'll know what to do,” Lance says but Keith's fingers wrap around his wrist before he can get up.

“Don't go away.”

Lance swallows. He's never seen the other Paladin like this. So vulnerable, so unguarded. He gently pries Keith's fingers off.

“I'll just get them on the comm. I'll be right back, okay?”

There's a tiny nod from Keith and Lance is already on the other side of the room, pushing the button on the communicating system. “Allura? Coran?”

“What is it, Lance?” Allura answers a moment later.

“I'm with Keith... and I think he's really sick. Like, _really_ sick.”

He hears Allura sigh. “Just what I feared... I'm sending Coran to you. He'll explain what we found out.”

Lance nods before he remembers that the princess can't see him. “Okay,” he says quietly.

“Lance, don't worry. It's not as bad as it probably looks,” Allura reassures him.

“Tsk... I'm not worried.” Lance hears Allura chuckle softly before a crackling sound indicates that she has turned the comm off.

Coran arrives at Keith's room a moment later.

“What the hell is going on?” Lance asks.

Coran just holds up a hand and goes to check on Keith first. “How are you?”

“I've been better,” Keith manages to say.

Coran takes out a small bottle filled with a clear blue liquid. “Take this. It'll help with the pain, a little.”

Keith sits up slowly, wincing in the process, and takes the medicine out of Coran's hand.

“So what did you find out?” Lance asks impatiently and moves to sit down at the end of Keith's bed.

“Well, I have some good news and some bad news,” the Altean man says.

“Bad ones first,” Keith says.

“You will be in a lot of pain for the next quintent or so. And the medicine I gave you will only take the edge off a little.”

“So what are the good news then?” Lance huffs and crosses his arms.

“The virus isn't more dangerous for Keith than it is for any of us. Our research showed that it does indeed affect Galras differently than Alteans or humans. While we experience symptoms similar to what you on earth call a cold... for Galras it also targets the nerves, sending out pain signals through the whole body,” Coran explains.

“And that's supposed to be good news?” Lance asks incredulously.

Coran shrugs. “It should only last roughly a quintent and requires no special medication. Probably even a shorter time in your case, Keith. Since you're only part-Galra.”

“Whoohoo...” Keith says sarcastically, resting his head back against the wall and closing his eyes.

Lance frowns. “And there's really nothing else we can do? The healing pods?”

Coran shakes his head. “That would not have any effect since the pain isn't caused by physical injuries. I'm sorry, Keith. But nevertheless, it might be better to transfer you to the infirmary. Just in case, so we can keep an eye on you.”

“I'd rather stay here...” Keith replies quietly.

“But if you start to feel worse...” Coran reasons.

“Then I'll let you know,” Lance butts in, “I'll stay here. If that's okay.” He looks at Keith who just nods.

Lance knows that Keith doesn't like the infirmary. He understands, it freaks him out a little as well. It's the same as hospitals. There's just something creepy about these places. Maybe it's the sterility.

Coran raises his hands in defeat. “Well, in that case... I'll leave more of the pain reliever here.” Coran hands some more of the bottles to Lance. “He can take it once every two vargas. Not more often than that. It's rather strong.”

Lance nods. “Got it.”

Coran exits the room afterwards, leaving Keith and Lance alone.

Lance takes his shoes off and sits down fully on the bed, leaning back against the opposite wall of the bed cubicle. Keith still has his eyes closed but he's not asleep. The tension in his body and his laboured breathing make it obvious.

“You didn't have to do that...”

Lance raises an eyebrow at the statement. “Do you want me to go?”

“No,” Keith answers quickly, “Just... you didn't have to.”

“Hey, what sort of shitty friend would I be if I left you alone like this?” Lance nudges Keith's leg with his own. “You seem a little better, are the meds working?”

“Not sure,” Keith says, “The pain comes in waves. It's manageable right now.”

“On a scale of one to ten?” Lance asks.

“Probably a four.”

They sit in silence for a while and Lance nearly falls asleep. It's late after all, after midnight in earth terms. Lance jolts fully awake again when he hears Keith swear under his breath.

“Keith?” he asks and squints to adjust to the dim light of the room.

He's only half expecting an answer from the other teen. But when he only hears a pained gasp in response, Lance scrambles up the bed to get next to Keith.

“Talk to me, buddy. What can I do?”

Keith just shakes his head. “I don't know...” he manages to say.

Lance sighs. “Okay, c'mere...”

He manoeuvres them both on the bed so he ends up sitting against the wall with Keith leaning half against his side, half against his chest.

“Is that okay?” Lance asks and he feels Keith nod more than he sees it. “Try to relax a little. You're as taut as a bowstring.”

“Would if I could,” Keith answers through clenched teeth.

“You can take more of the meds in...” Lance looks at the clock-like Altean device next to the bed. “About 30 dobashes. So roughly half an hour... I think. I'll never figure these out.”

“Me neither,” Keith agrees.

“Will you be okay until then?”

“I guess... oh fuck, this hurts.” Keith groans and grabs the nearest available thing which happens to be Lance's hand.

Without even thinking about it, Lance wraps his other arm around Keith. “I've got you,” he says quietly. He knows he's of no big use here, he just wants to show Keith that he's _there_.

“Distract me?” Keith asks.

“How?”

“I dunno. Tell me something. Anything.”

“Hmm...” Lance hums and thinks for a moment. “Have I ever told you about my siblings?”

Keith shakes his head. “Not much.”

“Well, I have four of them.. four sisters. And I'm right in the middle. Sandwich child. Which isn't funny at times, I can tell you. Like, imagine having older teenage sisters who bitch at you every chance they get and younger sisters who are in elementary school and kindergarten and just annoy the hell out of you _at the same time_.”

“Sounds stressful.”

“Hmm... but I never knew differently. And it's definitely an advantage when you need to convince your parents about something and it's five against two.”

The only way Lance can tell that Keith's pain is still getting worse is by how hard his grip on his hand is. So he just continues talking, something he's good at, at least. He lets his other hand trail lightly up and down Keith's back and lets it rest against the nape of his neck after a while, playing with a strand of hair. Lance feels Keith gradually relax against him and when he looks at the time, he notices that Keith can take the next dose of the medicine. He tells him as much.

“Can you reach it from where you are? I don't think I have the energy to move right now,” Keith says.

“I can if I get my hand back,” Lance replies, chuckling softly.

“Oh...” is all Keith says as he pulls his hand back.

Lance isn't sure because of the low lights but is Keith actually blushing? He chooses not to comment on it and instead hands Keith the medicine.

He grimaces as he knocks it back. “Gross.”

“But it helps.”

“It helps.”

They fall into a comfortable silence until Lance speaks up again. “Maybe you should lie down... try to sleep for a bit.”

“You're quite comfortable, too,” Keith answers.

Lance is surprised. “Are you delirious?” he asks, eyes narrowing.

Keith shakes his head. “I don't think so... well, maybe a bit? I do feel a little woozy. “

Lance cannot help laughing. “Keith Kogane high on painkillers... this might be interesting. Got any deep, dark secrets you want to share?”

Keith's lips quirk up in an almost-smile. “Nice try.”

“Ah well, it was worth a shot.” Lance shrugs.

“Hey, Lance?”

“Hmm?”

“You won't be able to say you don't remember _this_ bonding moment.”

Lance looks at Keith to see if he's joking but he looks sincere.

“Maybe you will forget it, though. With your painkiller induced high.” Lance smirks.

“No chance. I won't forget that time that Lance Sanchez held my hand and played with my hair to distract me.”

Lance nearly chokes and he looks at Keith, eyes wide. “Don't call me out like that. And how can you just say that with a completely straight face? I thought you'd deny that ever happened...”

“Oh, I will if the others ask about it.”

“You're a little shit.”

“Gotta keep up my reputation.”

Lance just shakes his head. “I'll tell you something... I do remember that bonding moment.”

Keith snorts. “Who's a little shit now?”

“Hey, in my defence, I was embarrassed. I mean, I passed out in your arms... that was a bit too much damsel in distress for my taste,” Lance says.

“Yeah and I was really worried.”

“Aww, you admit you were worried about me?” Lance can't help but tease.

“We all were!” Keith bristles at that.

“You know I'm just messing with you, right?” Lance asks, just to be sure.

“Yeah, cos you're an idiot,” Keith says and there's the hint of a smile on his face before his expression changes. “Ugh no... should've known this was too good to be true.”

“Painkillers stop working already?” Lance enquires.

“Yeah...”

“C'mon, let's lie down... get more comfortable.

They shift around on the small bed until they both lie on their sides, facing each other. The size of these beds is ridiculous, it's barely big enough to fit them both and they end up with their legs tangled and their faces inches apart.

“Okay?” Lance asks.

“Okay...” Keith nods.

“How bad is it?”

“Six... seven. More like seven.”

“Want me to distract you again?” Lancer offers.

“Please...”

And so Lance inches closer, which should be impossible but it works, and pulls Keith into his arms. “You know what I miss most about home? Apart from my family, I mean.”

Keith shakes his head no.

“The ocean... I basically grew up on the beach, spent every free minute there. So yeah, I miss it. The sound of the waves, the smell of saltwater... everything.”

“I've only been to the ocean a few times,” Keith says quietly.

“When we get home, I'll take you there. I'll take you to Varadero and show you the best beaches ever. Not one of the tourist spots. They suck. They're too crowded and full of garbage. But there are small, secluded beaches only the locals know about. Sand as white as snow and the bluest water you've ever seen.”

Lance can't keep the smile off his face as he reminisces about his home.

“I'd like that,” Keith says.

“Yeah, I think you would...”

“Lance?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For this. For being here.”

Lance smiles. “No need to thank me. As I said, only a very shitty friend would've left you alone. And...” He hesitates for a moment. “I know I don't show it a lot but I care about you. I know I still go on about that rival thing a lot but it's just become a habit to tease you, I guess.”

Lance looks away, embarrassed to have said all that.

“I know,” Keith replies, though, and Lance can't see his face because he's conveniently chosen to hide it but it sounds like he's smiling.

*

The rest of the night passes in a similar fashion. Keith takes the medication every two vargas. They stay close to each other and Lance holds Keith and distracts him when the pain gets worse. The waves of pain become shorter and less intense eventually and by the time morning comes around, Keith is nearly pain-free with the help of the medication and they're both exhausted due to a sleepless night.

And so they fall asleep the same way they've spent the entire night, wrapped around each other (closer than even the admittedly small bed calls for).

Lance vaguely registers when the door opens at some point but he cannot be bothered to open his eyes. And whoever it is doesn't linger for long because the door closes with a soft 'swoosh' only moments later.

Lance tightens his hold on Keith who in turn burrows his face deeper into the fabric of Lance's shirt.

*

“That's... not what I was expecting to see,” Shiro says in front of the door.

Allura just smiles. “I'm glad they seem to be a step closer to figuring some things out,” the princess says.

“It doesn't surprise you at all?” Shiro asks.

“Tell me, Shiro. Are all males of the human species this oblivious?” Allura asks instead of answering and leaves a confused Shiro behind on her way to the bridge.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So. My first Voltron fic. Sickfics are just becoming my thing, it would seem. I do hope this isn't too OOC (especially Keith?). This also turned out more dialogue heavy than I intended and yeah *shrugs*
> 
> I decided to assume Sanchez and not McClain as Lance's last name because he is Cuban and it's a Spanish speaking country and he should have a Spanish last name.
> 
> I'm happy about every comment :) Hit me up on tumblr to ramble about Voltron and Klance, I'm stellap0laris there.


End file.
